Bulldog Tank Destroyer
Confederate Bulldog Tank Destroyer "Now you see me, soon you won't!" :- Tank destroyer ambush plan B Tactical Analysis * They won't see me coming: Despite its age, the Bulldog is still very effective in its role of destroying tanks with a single, well placed volley. Its regular AP rounds are effective enough against tanks, but if needed it can also fire a special high velocity round which can punch through multiple targets. * They will never find me: The Bulldog's fibre optic camouflage affords it invisibility. While it can only be used while the Bulldog is stationary and not firing, it allows the Bulldog to be used as a very effective ambush tool. * They've found me!: However, like all tank destroyers, the Bulldog is poorly armoured, and lacks a gun turret. It is not a main battle tank, and cannot stand up to one. Use its fibre optic camouflage to get the drop on enemy tanks as much as possible. * Now they won't find me: Though fibre-optic based camouflage is often sufficient, PAWI based cloaking technology is generally considered superior. A limited number of Bulldogs have been retrofitted with small-scale PAWI devices that, when activated, will also cloak nearby units, for even more devastating ambushes. Operational History When Germany lost the First World War, it was forced to accept the Treaty of Versailles. Among other things, the treaty placed numerous restrictions on Germany's military, limiting the German army to 100,000 men, severely restricting the size of the German navy, and banning such weapons as armed aircraft, armoured cars, and tanks. With such restrictions in place, the German military was hobbled. However, though Germany could not break the treaty restrictions imposed on it, it could try to find workarounds, by exploiting loopholes in the treaty. One such workaround was with regards to the restrictions on tanks; though Germany could not have tanks, there were no restrictions prohibiting it from using tank destroyers. This line of reasoning led directly to the development of the PzJg. 44 Ausf. J Bulldog Tank Destroyer, considered one of the most successful tank destroyer designs employed during the Second World War. When the Bulldog was first introduced in 1944, it was only one of several different designs then in service with Germany at the time. Its 75mm gun, though impressive for a period when most tanks had guns of 50mm calibre or less, was considered by some to be unnecessarily powerful, while it was lacking in other areas such as speed or armour in comparison to other designs. Things quickly changed, however, when the Second World War broke out. In the first few weeks of the war, it was quickly and conclusively proved that most guns couldn't hope to penetrate the armour of the formidable Soviet Anvil tanks; 50mm guns could at best make a few dents, while anti-tank rifles wouldn't even leave a scratch; only the long 75mm gun of the Bulldog was able to any real harm. Though the 88mm armed Mastiff tanks were even more powerfully gunned than the Bulldogs or even the Anvils, they were too few in number at the time; only the Bulldogs were available in any bulk. German forces soon turned to employing these tank destroyers in ambush scenarios; a platoon of Bulldogs could lie in wait for an unsuspecting Anvil column, before springing the trap and opening fire on the vulnerable rears of the Soviet heavy tanks, which were considerably less well armoured. Such tactics helped to slow the Soviet advance throughout Germany, giving time for other countries to mobilise their forces. The Bulldog continued to be employed extensively by the combined Allied forces even after the Allies had gotten Mastiff production up to full speed; indeed, several steps were taken to improve the effectiveness of the tank destroyers, such as the development of high-velocity armour piercing ammunition that boasted greatly increased armour penetration. The most game-changing of the improvements made to the Bulldog, however, was the development of fibre-optic camouflage. Even before this, Soviet Anvil crews already had difficulties spotting well-concealed Bulldogs; now, it was nearly impossible for them to do so, particularly when taking into account the poor conditions of visibility that Anvil crews already suffered from. Even infantrymen unhampered by the limitation of being inside a tank would have a hard time picking out a fibre-optic camouflaged Bulldog from a distance. Fortunately for the Soviets, the expense of fibre optic camouflage meant that, even by the end of the war, only a fraction of Bulldogs were ever equipped with such systems. Despite this, the Allies had a tank destroyer that was powerful and effectively invisible. For Soviet tank crews, the war had become a nightmare, with the ever-present fear that a Bulldog tank destroyer might be lying in wait somewhere nearby. By the end of the war, Bulldogs were accounting for a significant portion of Anvil kills, and had even claimed a few Mammoth tanks. After the end of the war, thousands of Bulldogs were retired in favour of newer designs like the Mirage Tank, though others continued to remain in service. Like countless other vehicles, these Bulldogs were consigned to American boneyards; this would be to the Confederate Revolutionaries' benefit when the group launched raids on military boneyards throughout the United States. Stolen Bulldog tank destroyers, upgraded with improved fibre optic camouflage, are now one of the mainstays of the Confederate Continental Army. They remain hellishly effective at their task; though their 75mm gun, since upgraded to 88mms; is no longer all that powerful by modern standards, they compensate for this with an impressive rate of fire; additionally, the Bulldog's camouflage allows it to ambush tanks from behind, striking them in their vulnerable rear armour. Already, the Bulldog has proved its worth many times over to the Confederates, and is particularly suited to their guerrilla tactics. Indeed, with the utter decimation of the 3rd Mechanised Peacekeeper Brigade by Confederate Bulldogs, Allied vehicle crews in America are starting to feel the same fear and trepidation that their Soviet counterparts must have felt back in the days of the Second World War. Behind the Scenes The concept for the Bulldog comes from the RA2 German Tank Destroyer, though visually the two look nothing alike. The problem with the RA2 version was that it was never quite useful enough against enemy vehicles and infantry to be worth buying. The Bulldog is much more useful to the rebels, as most of the Confederates' heavy hitting tanks are expensive (meaning there will be less of them on the field) and will need some anti-armour support. Blue China Bulldog Tank Destroyer "I once destroyed an Overlord!" :- A gunner's crowning achievement. Tactical Analysis *'Time for a job change:' Blue China Bulldogs are specially modified to suit Blue China's tactics. Stripped of their camouflage systems, Chinese Bulldogs gain a 105mm cannon and enough artillery ammunition to level two entire city blocks in their place. *'Who needs stealth?:' Unlike its siblings, Blue China's Bulldog does not need to flank to do damage. Its 105mm anti-tank cannon bursts right through the front armour of tanks and even if it doesn't, the sheer force from the impact shakes the target vehicle so much that the crew is given a minor concussion and will have to regain their bearings before they can shoot back or run away. *'Saturation Fire:' If necessary, the crew member responsible for loading can push themselves to the limit, allowing the Bulldog to fire at a much higher rate than would normally be possible. On the other hand, this will usually tire them out, and the Bulldog will not be able to fire for some time afterwards. *'Rays of Destruction': Bulldogs equipped with experimental ray guns still exist, though they are few in number. Given the cutthroat competition for the chance to crew even a regular Bulldog, it is unsurprising that only the most brutal and skilled operators get the chance to crew ray gun equipped Bulldogs. Before the Bombs When one is fighting a war against an army that follows Soviet tactics and doctrine, be prepared to face a lot of armour. The Soviets pride themselves on their tank divisions, and it is not much of a surprise that the Communist Chinese followed this philosophy too. As such, the Panzerjagdgeschütz 46 Ausf. B Bulldog, an updated version of the venerable Panzerjäger 44 Ausf. J Bulldog, proved to be the perfect addition to the Nationalists' forces. Sporting a larger, more powerful 105mm cannon, the Ausf. B Bulldog had no problem penetrating the front armour of the Communist Battlemaster tanks. Though the Allies were unwilling to let the Nationalists have their prized camouflage technology, for fear that the Soviets or Communist Chinese might capture a Bulldog and reverse engineer it, the sheer power of the new 105mm gun installed on the Bulldog made up for it to some extent. By the end of the Civil War, the Blue Chinese Bulldog could claim one of the highest average kill-ratios on the continent and, some would boast, the planet. For most of their war, their tactics and roles were as simple as the cannon they sported - find the tanks of the enemy, and destroy them before they knew what hit them. But as the number of Red Chinese tanks and soldiers continued to grow, bolstered eventually by clones and other, more horrid devices, the Bulldogs became outnumbered. And as the Communists continued to push, and push, Bulldogs became more used for ambushing purposes as much as frontal combat machines, in an ironic echo to their brethren in other parts of the world. Blue Chinese armies would allow their hated enemies to take ground in cities they fought over, taking just enough ground to be surrounded by buildings - and then Bulldogs, hidden by nothing more than dirt and camouflage, would destroy the very foundations of the buildings around them, causing part of the city itself to come crashing down on their enemies. It was a horrible, scorched earth tactic, but it worked. And after a while, it became the only tactic Bulldogs were used for - killing their own nation's belongings in order to ensure the enemy lost just as much or more. After the Bombs Before the devastating atomic exchange severely crippled the Nationalists' production capabilities, a large number of Bulldogs were refitted with experimental ray guns. These weapons proved immensely useful in combat, being capable of melting through tank armour with ease. As it is, following the atomic exchange, the Blue Chinese no longer possess the infrastructure to build such high tech weapons as ray guns. With only a limited number of the ray gun equipped Bulldogs, they command intense conflict over them, and only the most ruthless and power-mongering warlords will ever gain access to them. Unlike other vehicles used by the Blue Chinese warlords, Bulldogs are very rare...and very valuable. Many of them were still waiting in cities when nukes were launched at them, or eliminated quickly by Red Chinese survivors overrunning their positions. Those in the open were quickly taken over by any survivors who could find them, and driven off into the wastelands in an attempt to protect themselves. Overall, less than a quarter of the Bulldogs in Blue Chinese hands still exist in working order of those that were around during the last year of the Civil War. But for those warlord bands that can find one, half-buried in the ruins of a former city or dug nearly to the top of the gun in mud, it is a glorious find. All available power will be sent towards dragging the Bulldog back to the warlord's holdings, and towards repairing it as soon as possible, for even one Bulldog is enough to decimate entire raiding parties of former Red Chinese soldiers. It is to the Blue Chinese what a Mirage Tank is to the Peacekeepers, and thus it is no surprise that the competition to crew one is highly intense. The owner of a Bulldog is usually the right-hand person to a warlord, or even the warlord themselves. And there is immense power in owning one, more than enough to offset the danger of a potential assassination, slander, or political trap in order to ensure the ownership passes on. When a Blue Chinese Bulldog appears on the field of battle in China, even the soldiers of the Atomic Kingdom slightly shake. Vietcong Bulldog Tank Destroyer "My first vehicle was a Saint-Chamond!" :- Bulldog driver bragging about his experiences in past years. Tactical Analysis * Like a Jungle Cat: Vietcong Bulldogs are well adapted to the jungle environment. They can move effortlessly through thick jungle without losing speed or leaving a trail, and are well hidden by their camouflage patterns and the overgrowth. * Hit Them Once, Hard: Despite being a tank destroyer, the Bulldog is the closest thing to a main battle tank the Vietcong can field. Though its armour is thin, the Bulldog is fast enough to pick its fights and strong enough to usually win them. * Hull Down: The resourcefulness of the Vietcong shows in their use of dug-in Bulldogs as immobile firebases. While buried, they are significantly better armoured and retain all their stealth properties; a Bulldog overlooking a road can be almost impossible to shift. However, without a turret, the Bulldog is unable to do anything about flankers. * Keep Firing: Some crews have been able to install autoloaders on their Bulldogs, removing the need for them to stop to reload the main gun, a weakness for most Bulldogs. Operational History Stolen from the French government during the Indochina War, an unknown number of old Bulldog tank destroyers have been kept active by the Vietcong in the jungle, and knockoffs have been seen coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail. Substituting failing fibre optics with jungle plants and a thick coat of dirt, these stealthy tank destroyers are a constant thorn in the side of ARVN and Allied forces, hiding in any bit of concealment that will take them. To further augment its abilities, Vietcong soldiers often dig it into the ground to lower its profile, turning it into a hardened gun position that, even if found, is nearly impossible to shift. Just the Stats Category:Units Category:Vietnam Category:Units Originating from Germany